Two senior Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday played down chances that the U.S. central bank would signal a readiness to taper bond buying at its meeting next month, dampening speculation the Fed might soon dial back its ultra-easy policy. New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley and St. Louis Fed chief James Bullard, both of whom will vote at the June 18-19 meeting, made clear further economic progress was needed before they would support curtailing bond purchases. "Inflation is pretty low in the U.S.," Bullard told reporters after delivering a lecture in Frankfurt. "I can't envision a good case to be ... (full story)